GiftttDy 4.0 Installation Guide

Let’s Get Started!

Here is a guide to everything you need to know to start capturing all sorts of social media activity into Day One using a few simple tools. To use GiftttDy, you need a few things:

A Mac (What? You don’t have a Mac? Then, I shouldn’t allow you to read this. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Go get one!)

Day One by Bloom Built, LLC – “Day One is a journaling platform to record and preserve your memories for the long term.” It is available for Mac and iOS and provides syncing across devices using iCloud or Dropbox.

And, most importantly (and I’m not just saying that because I wrote it), the GiftttDy script, which you can download from here.

Once you have all of the stuff, here’s what you need to do (I’d suggest keeping this page open while you install, for quick reference):

Special Instructions for Upgrading from Version 3.x(Skip this if you’ve never used GiftttDy before)

If you used GiftttDy 3.x, please note that there are changes to account for. Follow these steps to migrate to the new version:

Rerun the Configurator. It will create the new giftttdy4 folder in your Dropbox folder. (This was created to allow peaceful coexistence with GiftttDy 3.x.)

Install the Day One Command Line Interface (CLI), if you haven’t already. From the Terminal, type this command: sudo /Applications/Day\ One.app/Contents/Resources/install_cli.sh

Delete any files from the GiftttDy Temp folder found in your Home folder. (If you want to do this after GiftttDy 4.0 has been running, don’t delete files starting with GiftttDy_Post.)

Remove the old Hazel rule for GiftttDy Temp (but leave that folder in Hazel).

Remove the old Hazel rule for giftttdy and the giftttdy folder from the Hazel window. (You can leave this if you want to run GiftttDy 3.x for a while longer.)

Make sure your lifestream journal is your default journal. GiftttDy only sends to the default.

New Installations of GiftttDy 4.0

Step 1 – Install the software

Install Day One 2 (remember to set up syncing if you want to use the journal on you iOS device), Hazel, and Dropbox.

Make sure your lifestream journal is your default journal. GiftttDy only sends to the default.

Install the Day One 2 command line interface by running this command in Terminal: sudo /Applications/Day\ One.app/Contents/Resources/install_cli.sh

Open the GiftttDy.zip file you downloaded earlier, open the GiftttDy.dmg disk image, and copy GiftttDy.scptd to your Applications folder. (Keep the GiftttDy.dmg file open, you’ll need it for the steps below.)

Step 2 – Configure GiftttDy

Also located in the GiftttDy.dmg file is the GiftttDy Configurator. Double-click to launch it. It will set up the necessary directories and ask you to set preferences for how GiftttDy creates entries in Day One 2.

When the Configurator is done, it will display a window with configuration information that you will need for step 3. It will then refer you back to this page to complete the Hazel set up. You should see the GiftttDy Configurator message window, the Hazel preference pane, the GiftttDy.dmg file Finder window, and your web browser displaying this page. You may need to move windows around to see everything.

Problems? I’ve had a report of the GiftttDy Configurator hanging after prompting you to locate your Dropbox folder. If this happens, please try the alternate installation method.

Step 3 – Configure Hazel

If you’re not familiar with Hazel, DON’T PANIC. It’s actually pretty simple. The GiftttDy Configurator should have opened the Hazel preference pane for you. If not, open System Preferences, then click the Hazel icon.

If it’s not already selected, click the Folders button near the top of the screen.

On the left side of the screen, you indicate the folders you want Hazel to watch. Click the + at the bottom of the Folders section.

In the window that appears, navigate to the giftttdy4 folder in Dropbox then click Open. (The GiftttDy Configurator created this for you and should be displaying it in its window.)

Click the + sign again to add the GiftttDy Temp folder to Hazel. (This should also be displayed by the Configurator.)

In the GiftttDy.dmg file, double click the giftttdy4.hazelrules file. Hazel will ask you to “Chose a folder to import rules to:” Choose the folder named “giftttdy4” and click import.

Check the check box next to the Process GiftttDy Files to Day One rule on the right side of the screen.

Back in the GiftttyDy.dmg file, double click the GiftttDy Temp.hazelrules file. When Hazel asks where to import this rule, choose “GiftttDy Temp.”

Check the check box next to the GiftttDy Temp rule on the right side of the screen.

Your Hazel configuration should look like this (not including any other rules you may have added):

You can now close the Hazel preference pane.

Now, your Mac is all ready to go. Next, you need to get yourself an IFTTT account so you can set up the rules that will grab your social media posts and put them in your Dropbox folder. For a list of the recipes I’ve created for use with GiftttDy, please see my recipe page.